Companies wishing to secure sponsorship opportunities for the 2016 ATA Trade Show are meeting Kurt Weber, ATA Director of Marketing, in Louisville at the Kentucky Exposition Center for individual walk-through meetings March 16 - 18. If interested in sponsoring the 2016 Show, ATA-member companies can also schedule a conference call to identify and secure sponsorship assets. Companies wishing to schedule an appointment by phone or on site can call (717) 858-2451, or email Kurt…

When actor Rip Torn’s character Clyde Stewart shot a pig and slit its throat in the 1981 movie “Heartland,” Torn drew widespread protests from animal lovers. The Friends of Animals labeled the highly acclaimed movie “unacceptable,” and directed self-righteous torment at Torn. He never apologized, saying he had hunted for food since age 6, and that millions of pigs and steers get slaughtered commercially in much the same way as the pig killed in the movie. In a 1982…

Recruitment, retention and re-engagement – the so-called “R3” – are buzzwords in hunting and shooting sports conversations. That’s because industry leaders have collaborated to create an R3 plan that ATA CEO/President Jay McAninch calls the most exciting thing ever to happen in hunting and the shooting sports. That’s a bold statement. By its nature, planning is far less exciting than action. So, how can a plan be that exciting? One word: unity. The plan already…

Booth selection for the 2016 ATA Trade Show in Louisville, Ky. will begin April 21. The selection process is based on the ATA Preference Points Ranking System. All booth selections are completed by phone with an ATA representative according to an established call appointment schedule. Booth selection information, including the company's assigned date, will be mailed to Trade Show contacts in March. New or returning companies with less than 10 preference points will be allowed…